3 ~ Simple Eating

~Q~

“Few of us are aware that the act of eating can be a powerful statement of commitment to our own well-being, and at the same time the creation of a healthier habitat. Your health, happiness, and the future of life on earth are rarely so much in your own hands as when you sit down to eat.”

~ John Robbins

~Q~

In some areas of life, simplicity may seem a poor substitute for all the toys and treats of modern, state-of-the-art living. When it comes to eating, however, I doubt whether many would prefer the modern array of pre-processed, almost pre-digested foods served straight from the microwave and eaten in front of the television to real home-cooked meal, made from quality ingredients and eaten at the table with good company and good conversation. Why accept the former when you can weave the ideals of simple eating into your home and into your life?

(C) K and R Lovegrove

Eating is important. I think we can all agree on that, but not only is the physical process of putting food in our mouth important, but also how we do it. Your grandparents had it sorted out well; the family sat at the table, the food was served and the family ate. Modern life has blurred this process; many of us sit at the table with our family very rarely and some of us only on special occasions such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, a number of families have given up eating together entirely; members of the family eating in isolation ~ perhaps two at a time on occasion. A mechanical process, getting what they want when they want, and eating it. I want to suggest that individual ‘feeding’ is a poor substitute for the social occasion that is a family meal. The table that families will sit at will also vary; some prefer a kitchen table, where food is served at the heart of the home; others prefer to eat in a dining room ~ hopefully close by. But both of these become impossible if the table itself has been dispensed with; as it has in many homes in the UK!

The first step towards simpler eating is to have mealtimes and have a table to eat at. Something about a family eating together suggests all kinds of things are going on besides merely the intake of a meal. There is a social interaction ~ ‘how was your day?’, ‘what happened at school today?’, 'did you get that hail storm at lunchtime?’ ~ all signs of conversation between people. Young children at the meal table are learning to talk by watching and listening, and older children are learning to join in adult conversation. Where does this happen if not at the meal table?

Why do I suggest that these things are important ~ and what have they got to do with simplicity at all? I think the answer is that by family protocol and tradition, we are signifying the importance of the family as a group and, of course, showing that food is vital. Food is not something that we throw down our throats before we get on with the next ‘exciting’ thing we have to do. It is, quite simply, a matter of life and death! Family traditions based around eating that you decide to introduce may be setting some kind of pattern for generations to come ~ they are very important.

Spiritual
Eating.

If we look at families from a cultural point of view we note that the meal table is a place of spiritual interaction ~ most religious traditions start with grace or the blessing of the food. My own family follows the Quaker tradition of silent grace. We have introduced the idea of a short reading before silent grace to ‘give them something to think about’; this might be from the Bible, the Quaker book Advices and Queries or a book of prayers for children. If we do use readings (sometimes we don't) we are careful to select them to reflect our personal religious preferences, the time of year, and other family, or world events. The member of the family taking grace is different each time to get away from paternalistic (or maternalistic) traditions. Grace need not be like this and it can be adapted so as to be appropriate to any religious tradition. It is possible to envisage that a non-religious family might consider having a short period of ‘thinking time’ at the start of the meal as an alternative to grace.

It is also a good idea, then, to start the meal with some formal words of starting such as ‘bon Appetit’, ‘Shalom’ or a traditional greeting from another culture such as ‘wassail’, ‘Skol’ etc.

In Amish families, grace can be a much longer process than that outlined above and may include readings, prayers, silence or even hymn singing. As soon as grace is over, the food is eaten with the lack of further ceremony. It is simply a matter of finding out what works for your family.

Eating Alone.

~Q~

“How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here forever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.”

― Virginia Woolf

~Q~

For some, eating alone is what happens every day, and for others it is an occasional occurrence. Either way, how can you make this process an important part of a simple life? I would suggest that you need to follow a similar pattern to a family; have mealtimes, set the table well and make it look good; flowers, candles, etc. No reason to miss out on grace, but you can replace conversation with a good book. Why listen to the radio or watch television at mealtimes? Make them special ~ you are no less important when eating alone than when eating with others, so simply treat yourself well. Meals cooked from scratch should be on the solitary diner's table just as often as on a family meal table ~ the skill needed to cook for one requires a little more thought, but no more skill in cooking.

Setting
the Table

Simplicity is not necessarily minimalism. Sitting down to eat from matching pure white crockery on a white linen tablecloth may be minimalistic ~ but it’s not simple! The simple table top is spread with what is needed for the meal. If plates don’t match, then this shows that you simply buy replacement plates as and when needed; the effect is rustic, unpretentious and very simple.

Likewise with cutlery ~ no need for a matching set, just use what you have and make sure that children have equipment to eat with that matches the size of their hands. Always try to find a meaningful centerpiece of the meal ~ something seasonal is nice; flowers, budding twigs, stones, a small basket of pine cones or a candle (see chapter X). Where possible, dish up food at the table from serving dishes, this prevents food wastage and provides plenty of valuable leftovers (the true value of leftovers is discussed in chapter Y). Always have a jug of drinking water on the table and encourage younger people to fill glasses or tumblers themselves. It’s a useful skill!

(C) K and R Lovegrove

Meals

The simple way is to have three meals a day served at pretty much the same time each day; breakfast, lunch and supper. This, of course, does not fit in with everyone’s life perfectly, but it should be the norm for most days. Eating between meals is fine if you have been using lots of energy and are too hungry to wait until the next mealtime, but eating between meals out of habit rather than out of hunger, probably results in overeating and subsequent weight gain. Meals have a way of evolving within families and that is the way it should be. It also means that rules develop about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate at the meal table. Younger members of the family should be expected to follow these rules and fit in with the general flow of mealtimes. Rules must be for everyone and adults cannot behave, in a way that they would find unacceptable in children when at the meal table.

Special
Meals

All meals are special, but some are 'more special' than others. Later in chapter * we explore the reasons to celebrate and look more closely at birthdays, anniversaries and the like. Needless to say, special meals should take account of the likes and dislikes of individuals and families. Consider having one special meal each week in the style of the Jewish Shabbat. You might decide that the traditional Friday evening is a good time to do this, but there is no reason why you should not pick another evening if it suits your family. The point of a Shabbat meal, apart from the obvious religious one, is that the family itself is at the focus of the meal, it is a time of the week when everyone in the family makes every effort to be present, and not to bring the worries and conflicts of the week to the table. Food should be special and simple, with the dishes prepared in advance to allow a relaxed and slow approach to the meal. It becomes a family tradition and soon becomes an indispensable part of the week.

Guests

Visitors should be made welcome at the meal table and never put in the position of eating food they are not happy to, or be embarrassed by protocol. It is good if you want to invite others to eat with you, but do not get involved in the idea that they then have to invite you to eat with them. The whole concept of ‘dinner parties’ is a bad one as it often results in people eating what they don’t want to, with people they don’t want to be with, at a time when they would rather be getting on with something else. Why put yourself and your friends through the whole rigmarole? An invitation to eat should be just that with no strings attached and no expectations of reciprocal invitations. Above all, having guests for a meal should be a simple thing and not involve any degree of ‘showing off’ or trying to impress ~ make it relaxed and simple.

Drinking
with Meals

The simple drink for any meal is water. If you drink alcohol with meals, then decide what amount you chose to drink each week and stick to it! If you refill glasses and lose track of how much alcohol you have drunk, then don’t bring the bottle to the meal table. If you want to drink less, then try smaller glasses; many wine glasses today (in Europe) are 250cm3 while not so many years ago 175cm3 glasses were the norm. Seek out these smaller glasses and use only them at the meal table. If you do serve wine, then always provide water as well. Drinking less is easily achieved by having one or two alcohol-free days each week. Non-alcoholic drinks served at the table should not be sugar loaded as this just adds calories to the meal without adding any nutrients. Children should drink water or diluted fruit juice, not carbonated drinks or ‘squash’.

Eating
Meat

Meat, historically, has been at the heart of the western diet for thousands of years. However, the demand for land and resources means that an alternative focus for the diet is ethically desirable. You can also consider your relationship to the food on your plate; if you are not happy with killing animals yourself, is it reasonable to expect somebody else to do it for you? With the large number of alternative products available, not eating meat would seem the simple and ‘greenest’ way forward. You might like to consider giving up meat except for one day a week, or only eating meat on one or two special occasions a year. Alternatively, you might like to try a vegetarian or vegan diet as outlined below.

Vegetarian
Eating

Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish (those that do eat fish and call themselves vegetarians have a basic misunderstanding of the concept). Some vegetarians eat eggs and some also eat dairy produce, but if this includes cheese it must be made with a vegetarian alternative to rennet, which is produced from the stomachs of calves. It is essential in a vegetarian diet to ensure sufficient protein, vitamin B12 and iron; all components of meat that need alternative sources. Protein can be derived from beans and lentils, but (with the exception of the soya bean) you need to mix these with grain to get the correct supply of essential amino-acids, the ‘building blocks’ of muscle tissue and enzymes in the body. Other sources of protein include nuts, eggs, dairy products and ‘meat substitutes’ such as textured soya, QuornTM and the 'curd' of the soya bean, called tofu. You can soon get used to cooking with these substances and produce any number of good dishes. Vitamin B12 is not found easily outside the meat diet so vegetarians need to eat eggs or yeast extract regularly. Otherwise, take vitamin supplements (see Chapter Z ~Simple Health). Iron is found in a number of plant sources, but for those vulnerable to anaemia, pregnant women, menstruating women, the elderly etc. supplements may be a good idea. A word of warning; becoming vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean your diet is good, it is possible to be a vegetarian and eat very badly ~ you still need, like everyone else, to think carefully about what you eat each day.

Vegan
Eating

Vegans will point out that animal cruelty and exploitation is involved in the production of both meat and dairy. In particular, the dairy industry could not run without the killing of young male calves. A vegan diet is an attempt to live within an ethical system which aims to eliminate the farming of animals altogether. As you can see from the information above, this is possible and all you need to do is to make sure that you get sufficient protein, vitamin B12 and iron, possibly from supplements. A vegan diet is perfectly healthy and, just as meat eaters might like to ‘phase in’ a vegetarian diet, likewise vegetarians might like to consider phasing in a vegan diet.

~Q~

“To be a vegetarian is to disagree - to disagree with the course of things today... starvation, cruelty - we must make a statement against these things. Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it's a strong one.”

~ Isaac Bashevis Singer

~Q~

Feeding
Babies

The plain and simple way to feed babies is on breast milk. Unless there is a sound medical reason why this cannot happen, then no excuse exists. Breast milk is the best food available for babies and it is far cheaper than buying an inferior product to make up bottled feed. Mothers may need some professional help to get this right, but remember it’s what breasts are for! If breast feeding is proving a problem for you, don't feel a failure just get some advice and, if it really doesn't work out then at least you have given it a good try!

As babies grow, they will need to be weaned onto solid food. Again, you may want to take advice on when is the right time to start this, but there is no need to buy manufactured baby food at all. As a father of five, I can think of only one occasion when an emergency jar of prepared baby food had to be purchased for one of my children. Food carefully prepared in your own kitchen will be the ideal way to wean your baby; best for baby, best for parents and best to get a head start on a life of good, simple, home produced food. Obviously, all food for babies needs to be of the appropriate consistency and some ingredients such as salt and some other seasonings need to be left out altogether.

Feeding
Children

As soon as they are fully weaned, children need to eat food that is available for all the family. You may need to hold some foods for when the children are older, but generally speaking, the sooner children eat a wide range of different and well prepared foods, the better. Fussy eaters are a problem and it is best to offer food from serving dishes on the table so that children can be tempted to try new foods regularly. If children are food rejecters, be careful not to alienate them from ever trying again by anything approaching forced feeding; better maintain the peace of the meal table and try again another day. Many children eat slowly and many ‘fill up’ with what might seem to you a small amount of food. Get used to your child’s appetite and meal size limits and accommodate them the best you can around the meal table. As stated in the chapter ‘simple cooking’, do try and involve children as much as possible in the process of food preparation.

For very picky eaters, always provide some bread and butter/spread on the table, so if they reject the meal being served they do not leave the table hungry.

(C) K and R Lovegrove

Free
Eating

One good way to avoid the problems associated with fussy eaters and members of the family with special requirements (either medical of optional) is the idea of a 'free eating meal'. The table is set with empty plates for all and all the dishes are arranged for people to help themselves. In these circumstances don't worry at all if the dishes don't conventionally go together, nor if individuals pick a strange array of foods. A good mixture of hot and cold dishes can be on offer and all the usual components of protein sources, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates should be present. If pasta, turnips, green salad and chili all turn up on the same plate, why not?! It might be that two different people sitting at the same table will be enjoying different meals.

Free eating encourages all to be more adventurous in what they eat, makes good use of leftovers and is a good way to introduce new dishes to the family. For picky eaters it might just encourage them to try 'just a little' of something they have never tried before, and they might even like it and come back for more! The important points are that all the food is good in quality and preparation, and that everyone eats what they want.

~Q~

"We easily fall a prey to the temptations of the palate, and therefore when a thing tastes delicious we do not mind taking a morsel or two more. But you cannot keep health under those circumstances. Therefore I discovered that in order to keep health, no matter what you ate, it was necessary to cut down the quantity of your food, and reduce the number of meals. Become moderate; err on the side of less, rather than on the side of more. When I invite friends to share their meals with me I never press them to take a thing if they do not want it."

·If you have fussy eaters at
the table always provide bread and butter/margarine as an alternative for
them. Don’t turn mealtimes into a time of conflict about not eating certain
foods ~ it’s not worth it!

·Avoid situations where you
are serving up completely different dishes for different individuals at the
same meal

·Avoid waste at the meal table

·If you eat alone do it at a
well set table ~ treat yourself well!

·If members of the family take
packed meals to school or work, then make sure the same healthy eating rules
apply as to meals eaten at home

·If you have a new baby in the
house breast feed them and wean them on foods prepared yourself

·Introduce grace at the start
of family meals ~ this could take the form of a simple prayer, a short
reading or a short time of silence. Rotate the person ‘taking grace’ and
include children in the rota

·Consider changing your diet
to a vegetarian or vegan regime. If you find this difficult start off for
just one day for the first week, then two non-consecutive days in the next
week. Continue until your new diet is seven days a week. It may take some
weeks for you and your body to adapt to the new diet so try it for at least
six weeks to give it a fair trial

·Consider having fixed items
on the menu for a few days of the week, for instance Thursday night is pasta
night. Choose these fixed menu nights for those days of the week when you
know you have less time for planning and you know you can make use of the
leftovers

·Consider introducing a
Shabbat type meal into your family at the end of each working week

·Consider making some family
rules about what happens at the meal table and what should be discussed.
Family rules like no talking about work, only one person talking at a time
and offering dishes to others before helping yourself are good ideas

·Consider drinking alcohol
only on special occasions ~ birthdays, anniversaries and family celebrations.

·Stop buying any prepared food
and cook everything from scratch

·Try to produce as much of the
food you eat from your own garden

·Eat only whole foods

·Drink no alcohol

·Eat at least one raw food
meal each day

~Q~

“There is nothing more luxurious than eating while you read—unless it be reading while you eat. " ~ E. Nesbit,

N.B.
~ Family grace may be silent, or one member of the family says a
short prayer either way these following books will provide
inspiration. Of course you will also want to include readings from
religious texts of your own family traditions.

2 comments:

Thanks for recommending a vegetarian or vegan diet! The latest research has shown that as long as a vegan diet is calorically sufficient, there will be more than adequate protein. The notion of food combining to make "complete proteins" has been updated. As long as one is eating a broad variety of plant-based foods, including beans, greens nuts and seeds, it is virtually impossible to lack in protein. It all comes together over a day's meals, no need to micromanage meal by meal. Vegans do need vitamin B12 and D, easily supplemented. Research compiled by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (of Forks Over Knives fame), Drs MacDougall and Barnard all advocate whole-foods, plant-based diets for optimal nutrition and health, and agree about the ease of finding enough protein. Thanks for a great post on simple eating!

Thank you for your comments MaryBeth, and I agree fully with the points you make. I, and millions of others worldwide, are testaments to the fact that a diet based on plants is the perfect basis of healthy eating. My original career was as a pharmacologist, specializing in inorganic micronutrients and, even in those days the evidence was overwhelming that the meat is totally unnecessary in the diet. It is such a pity that so many in the medical profession still advise an obsolete concept of what a 'balanced diet' is.